It is so hard to keep your morale up while job hunting. First of all a natural part of job hunting is dealing with the rejection when you don’t get a job or you don’t get called for interview. Job hunting can be such a stressful time on its own but then often it is coupled with having to move from a stressful work environment and or being worried about money. Here are some tips to help you to keep going and reduce the stress and anxiety that goes with job hunting.
1.Treat job hunting like your job
Job hunting is an important job so give it the same dedication and structure that you give to your normal job.
- Start at a certain time and finish at a certain time.
- Plan out your day as you would when you are working.
- Take breaks
- Have a specific space set up for yourself. Make it nice and somewhere that you can work and concentrate in.
2. Stick with it
We know job hunting can start to feel like a chore. Even if you don’t feel like doing anything, start off with some easy things and keep breaking through the barrier of wanting to give up. Just because it is hard doesn’t mean it is not worth it. Spend five minutes doing some of the easy tasks on your to do list and you will start to get into the flow of job hunting.
3. Have a number of opportunities on the go.
Build a job hunting pipeline with a number of opportunities you are working on. Otherwise, if you are just focusing on one and if you don’t get it, it is hard to keep motivated. Also working on a few will help you to practise. Interviewing, CV writing and cover letter writing are skills and we get rusty as we don’t practice.
4. Create new opportunities
Just because a company has not advertised a job doesn’t mean they are not on the look out for great talent. Also before a company advertises a job they have probably had a need for a person for some time. By reaching out to them you could be doing them a favour. Make a list of your dream companies to work for. Reach out to your dream companies and let them know why they should hire you. Think about the benefits that you can bring the company and add that to the cover letter. It is also really impressive if you do some research on the company and link that research to the benefits of hiring you.
5. Look for jobs that suit your skill set
Read the job description to see what the recruiters are looking for exactly. Recruiters spend a lot of time formulating job descriptions so that potential candidates can tell exactly what the role is about. Ask yourself these questions to find out if a role would suit you:
- Are you going to enjoy this job?
- Can you do this job?
- What have you done or achieved before that can show a recruiter that you can do this job?
Remember it is only a good opportunity if it is a good opportunity for you. Salespeople call this qualifying their leads. They do not waste their time on jobs they don’t want and they are not likely to get.
6. Give yourself realistic goals
Most jobs are not gotten overnight. Don’t set unrealistic timelines on your self. Pace yourself, job hunting is a marathon not a sprint.
7. Reward yourself though out the process
Honestly, job hunting is not easy. If you get an interview, congratulate yourself, if you got an interview but didn’t get through to the next round still celebrate. You got to practice and learn something that will help you in the future.
8. See job hunting as a learning process
Olympic athletes do not expect to win a race without training. When you have not looked for a job in a while you have to go into training again. Develop your job hunting skills and you will improve. You can ask recruiters for feedback, read articles and ask friends and colleagues. See the whole process as a training experience and know that it takes time to brush up your job hunting skills.
9. Don’t take it personally
It is so difficult to not take the ups and downs of job hunting personally. As recruiters everyday we see fantastically skilled people who do not get the job. It is rarely personal to them- maybe they do not have the skills or experience that the client has asked for in one particular area or you will not fit in with the company culture etc. Be confident in your skills and abilities.
10. Set measurable goals
e.g. apply for 2 jobs a day, post one thing to your LinkedIn every day to make show your expertise.
11. Know that it will be worth it in the end
Know that finding a job that you love, in a company that you love and working with great people is worth it in the end. We spend a lot of time in work so keep going and you will get there.
We hope that these tips will help you to keep your morale up while you are job hunting. Best of luck with your job hunt and be sure to contact us to see if we have any jobs available or in the pipeline that would be of interest to you.
